My cell phone provider tacked on an extra $630 to this month's bill. I spent over five hours arguing with their customer service department on Friday night, getting nowhere very slow (documented in a running diary here). I went to sleep a defeated, much poorer man.

But after getting a few messages from a few empathetic strangers, I decided to escalate my case. I found the email address of the company's CEO and fired off a missive. He "“ or at least someone from his office, using his email account "“ wrote me back hours later, promising to make things right. The following day, I spoke with the Executive Services VIP Analyst, who erased the charges in just six minutes.

This was one of those "wow" moments for me, where I wondered how I could have survived the analog age. I'd have probably paid the $630 and carried a grudge to my grave. Though I guess there wouldn't have been cell phone companies to screw me back then.

I know it's cliche to say, "The internet is changing everything we do." But does anyone have a similar tale of a similar moment? Brag with me about your successes.